Darkest Mercy
by FisheyCakes
Summary: A life of darkness. Killing, killing and killing was all that her life composed of. Sheltered by those who wished protect her, hunted by those who wanted her dead. Hiding a secret within that even they themselves didn't know, the two meet.
1. Chapter 1

**w I feel so bad, I should be working on the next chapter of the President and Her Vice, but... but... my game console spoiled and had to be sent for repair! T^T Nuuuuuuuuu! I need my daily zombie killing de-stressing! I itch to play Resident Evil, seriously.**

**So lately I've been hanging around the arcade playing Project Diva Arcade and occasionally some shooting games 8D But, as my friend so quaintly puts it, "Congratulations. You have rejoined the ranks of 'NOOB'!" _ So evil! I haven't played in a really long time, okay? (Plus the fact that I laugh randomly at weird moments while playing the game. But I can't help it! Miku and Luka in Cantarella with Miku in Kaito's voice is just...)**

**So I had this idea suddenly. Wow. But I apologise beforehand, because I can't write action scenes! Dx**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Vocaloids!**

* * *

><p>'<em>They never stop coming. What's going on?'<em>

"Megurine-taichō! Things are getting bad!"

To say that things were getting bad was an understatement. Luka quickly surveyed the situation and it was clearly not to their advantage. Two-thirds of her team was in no condition to fight; they were wounded, or worse, dead. Those remaining were quickly running out of ammunition, several of them already engaging in battle with their melee weapons.

"Those bitches are acting really weird. Usually they- holy cow!" Gumi swore furiously when the latest batch of reinforcements for their enemies showed up. "Zombies? They're teaming out with zombies? _Teaming up?_ Them!"

"Calm down," Luka struggled to follow her own advice; she had to stay cool and be strong for all of them. "Do you have any grenades left?"

"Now you're talking!" Gumi smirked. "I have three of these babies left, it can probably take out most of them, which takes cares of the zombies, but there's still-"

"Those with ammo left; try to round them up; those fighting close range, get rid of them as soon as possible and re-group back to Gumi!" Luka ordered into the communicator, helping out take down a few with her shotgun.

"Gumi," Her second-in-command looked up, accepting the shotgun that Luka pressed into her hands in confusion.

"What-"

"You're in charge now, try to keep most of the team alive, okay? And don't forget to shoot those who died with the special bullets before they rise up again." Luka's smile grew as the look of confusion on Gumi's face lightened. "I'm going to lead the remaining ones that survive after the blast away, so stay alive! Gakkun and his team will be coming soon, leave nothing for them to kill."

Gumi remained silent as Luka unloaded herself of any excessive weapons, dumping at least two dozen magazines into Gumi's lap.

"That should last you all of for a while!" Luka smiled, but Gumi didn't return it.

"Why don't you take this with you?" She offered Luka the shotgun back, knowing that it might be the last time that they would ever see each other again.

'_Stop!'_ Gumi scolded herself when she felt tears prickling at her eyes. _'I must see the bigger picture, like what Luka's doing! One in exchange for many…'_

"I have this," Luka refused and she unsheathed her katana. "And I'll need to travel light."

Gumi wished that she could be as positive as Luka; it was ironic how their roles seemed to be switched right now with Luka all smiling and positive, Gumi looking as morose as a drowned rat.

Wondering how she was going to explain to Lily that she had let Luka do this, Gumi took extreme care to aim where the grenades went so that they would cause the most damage. After all, the more of the enemy that was killed, the better chances of survival Luka had.

Gumi tensed, waiting for Luka.

"…now!"

They hid behind the abandoned cars as blasts rocked the area, Luka already up and running once the blasts subsided, not even waiting for the dust to clear as she rushed in to get rid of any survivors.

Gumi couldn't help but watch in admiration as Luka went to work immediately, slashing one of them into half with her enchanted blade and gutting another in the stomach a split second later.

'_There doesn't seem to be any more coming…'_ Gumi chewed her bottom lip nervously, her hands itching for her to take a shot but she was afraid that she might hit Luka instead, and Luka was drawing them far away like she said she would. _'Five low-level undead…'_

Her thoughts were cut short when a bloodcurdling scream pierced the air.

"Zombies," Gumi scowled. They might be less dangerous than vampires, but zombies usually attacked in droves and they were highly infectious, a single bite from them and you would turn into a zombie too, sooner or later.

"Hold them off!" Gumi prayed that there were still some of her teammates left. The last time she had counted, there were only eight out of their original twenty-four; and judging from the screams earlier, their numbers had surely decreased once again.

Hearing the gunshots that answered her call, Gumi beamed. _'There's still hope left! Although… I freaking hate zombies.'_ Gumi scanned around, and seeing the long line of cars that had been abandoned by their owners fleeing for their lives, Gumi felt like laughing for the first time that night.

'_Bingo.'_

* * *

><p>Luka kept her senses on high alert as she fought off the vampire attempting to claw her head off, sensing something amiss.<p>

'_It seems easy… too easy…'_ Luka allowed her attention to wander for a moment.

Her eyes widened.

Hunters had exceptional senses that were way above the average human's, and Luka always seemed to be able to detect vampires that were nearby; which was how she could see a bunch of level fours cornering someone a few blocks away, at a dead end in an alleyway.

'_Something tells me that something important is going on there.'_

A sudden blast rocked the ground, almost throwing Luka off balance. She looked back and saw that Gumi had somehow managed to blow up the cars, killing most of the zombies and creating a barricade of fire that would last them for some time.

'_No worries there.'_ Luka dispatched the vampires surrounding her easily; she was so used to killing that it was as easy as breathing for her. With a quick glance to check that Gumi and the rest were fine, she swiftly made her way to the level fours, the element of surprise allowing her to kill several before they finally realized that she was there.

'_Fifteen…'_ Luka counted as she made out a small figure huddled near the wall, making it out to be a girl through her ripped dress and flowing teal locks. She couldn't see her face, which were hidden by her pale hands, but Luka couldn't help but feel that she had met the girl somewhere before.

'_Impossible, I would have remembered someone with such a unique hair color-'_

Then again, she couldn't be too sure. Her days had long disappeared into one big blur, divided into day and night, her days spent training and resting, her nights spent killing and killing.

Luka tugged hard on the hilt of her katana but the vampire, whose chest it was through, clung onto the blade with both hands, refusing to let go. Several of the vampires decided to charge at her then, taking advantage of the situation.

'_They're acting almost… smart.'_ Luka's eyes narrowed as she left her katana with the vampire and with one hand disappearing into her coat, she ran at the wall, running up it and flipping over the vampires that had charged at her. Drawing out a revolver in mid-flip, she calmly shot the vampires, getting all of them with a single shot to the head.

"Thank _you_," Luka said sarcastically when she managed to get her katana free, slicing off the head of the vampire that had dared vexed her. _'They aren't supposed to be this smart!'_

Luka froze when she realized why, catching sight of something. There was a level six vampire amongst them, directing their actions. Luka watched as it gave her a smirk before waving its hands, sending another three vampires snarling towards her.

Luka glared back as she sliced up those coming at her, kicking and punching away a few as she made her way through the ring encircling the girl.

"Here. Wear this, it'll keep you safe." Luka knelt down and gently draped her coat over the shivering girl, having noted how she had recoil slightly from Luka's approach. Luka did it partially to lull the vampires into a false sense of security; the level six didn't seem to buy her trick buy the rest definitely did, all eager to attack when they saw her katana on the ground beside her, but Luka was ready to snatch it up instantly when it was needed.

"It's okay…" Luka soothed and the girl looked up, revealing a startling set of cerulean eyes.

'_Focus!'_ Luka scolded herself; she had been stunned for a few seconds when their eyes had met, filled with a strong urge to hug her and- _'Cry?'_

"Take this," Luka handed the girl the revolver. "Shoot them if they get near, okay?" Taking her hand in hers, Luka showed her how to hold onto the revolver and pull the trigger, using one vampire as a training dummy. "Good job!"

'_Her hands… they're like ice… she must be really afraid…'_

Gripping her katana in her hand, Luka made a decision. It was a miracle that the vampires hadn't attacked at all while she was busy with the girl, although their numbers seemed to have increased and they were completely surrounded.

Luka had a bad feeling, and she was usually right.

The level six gave her a bemused grin as though asking her, "What can you do now?"

Straightening up, Luka brought her blade across her left palm, drawing blood and sending the vampires into a frenzy.

"Stay here." Luka called over her shoulder as she dashed forward, creating a break in the ring of vampires with her weapon and the rest followed, drawn by the scent of fresh blood.

Luka smirked when she saw the level six following as well, it may have been smart, but it still couldn't resist the thing that all vampires craved the most: blood.

Running out into the main street, Luka made a stand there; there was ample space for her to move around and she didn't have to worry much about the girl getting caught up in this mess.

Frowning as she threw herself into the familiar routine of dodging and weaving, slashing and stabbing as she made quick work out of most of them when her senses screamed out for her to watch her back.

With a swing of the katana she decapitated the last level four and she brought the katana up to her back, preventing another blade from slashing her back open.

"Why do you interfere in matters none of your concern, Hunter!" A level nine glared at her through blood-red eyes. "If you leave now, your life will be spared."

"I'm sworn to kill all vampires; my job is to save others from things like you!" Luka parried and the two of them fought at superhuman speeds, seeming evenly matched; the level six wisely waited on the sidelines.

"Die then!" The level nine forced her back with a sudden display of brute strength, causing her to stumble backwards and trip over a body in order to dodge the sword that was aiming for her heart.

The level six then launched itself forward, teeth bared, ready to rip out Luka's throat.

A gunshot rang out.

The level nine grinned. "How nice of you to deliver yourself to me!"

Luka rolled onto her stomach, the level six with a smoking hole in its forehead turning to dust not far away, staring at the teal-haired girl standing a few feet away.

'_She… managed to shoot it fatally… from such a distance…'_

"I came to watch your demise." The sound of the girl's voice sent a jolt running through Luka, and with that came a splitting headache. Luka was sure that she had hit her head pretty hard earlier, and hearing the girl's voice made her feel better and worse all at the same time.

The level seven grinned widely as he walked towards the girl, dismissing Luka.

'_Shoot! Why won't you shoot?'_ Luka thought furiously, pushing herself to stand. Luckily, the level nine was too absorbed in gloating to notice Luka drawing near.

"Hey," She tapped his shoulder.

"What-argh!" Luka drew her katana across his eyes the instant he turned back.

'_They really are acting strange today…'_

Luka then watched in horror as the level nine screamed in agony, dropping his sword and he mutated into something that headed straight for the girl, razor sharp claws ready to shred her up.

"Watch out!" Luka threw herself on the girl, who had been standing there, as if she was rooted to the ground, with a look of utter shock on her face when the level nine had mutated.

"They don't normally do that," Luka watched as the mutated level nine drew back from the wall that its claws had collided with, lumbering around the street, apparently unable to sense the two of them.

"You're bleeding."

"My hand? It's nothing-"

"You're badly injured."

Luka glanced down at her side and saw that the girl _was_ right; there were three long nasty gashes where the level nine had managed to hit when Luka had dashed in between his claws and the girl.

"Why?"

"What why?" Luka smiled reassuringly at the girl, having tons of experience at smiling despite being in great pain. "Don't worry, it's less serious than it looks, I'm fine. Really. You okay?" She rolled off the girl, not wanting to risk standing yet.

"Your coat would have protected you… If you hadn't given it to me," She looked guilty. "Why?"

"Uhh…"

"Your hand is still bleeding." Luka snapped out of her daze and looked away. The girl's eyes, they were so… captivating, it was difficult to tear one's eyes away and quit staring, and even if Luka knew that staring was rude.

The girl took Luka's hand in her cold ones as Luka watched, and she kissed the wound there before producing a delicate lace handkerchief out of nowhere to wrap it around Luka's hand.

"There." The girl looked satisfied. "This should do it."

"Wh-" Luka began when a shadow fell over them.

"Hiding here?" The level nine leered as he swiped his claws at them. Luka managed to push the girl away in time; instead she bore the full brunt of the attack and was sent crashing through a wall opposite the street.

'_I'm sure I cracked a few ribs or something…'_ Luka lied there for a moment before sitting up gingerly, inspecting herself. Although Hunters were made from much sterner stuff than normal humans, they were still very much mortal.

'_And every much stupid,'_ Luka thought dryly as she rubbed her temples, wondering why she didn't sense the level nine sneaking up on them. _'So many things are off today…'_

Her side protested when she tried to stand, so Luka crawled out on her knees, blinking hard as her fuzzy vision was slowly restored.

'_The girl…'_ Luka increased her crawling speed, ignoring the pain that accompanied. Her head hurt, she was severely wounded, and she couldn't see straight, let alone think, but something spurred her on.

'_The girl!'_

* * *

><p>"Can you even use that?" The level nine taunted, apparently having mutated far enough to regain eyes and a mouth. "Hunter's weapons aren't like ordinary weapons; they're very attached to their masters."<p>

The girl merely clutched Luka's katana even tighter, trying her best to ignore the jolt of punishing electricity that came with every second she held onto it. The revolver had been useless against the level nine, none of the bullets worked on him and Luka's katana was her only defense left.

"Who sent you?"

"You already know that, your highness." The level nine gave her a mocking bow. "Someone doesn't like your existence, so…"

He lunged at her suddenly.

Her hand was moving before she even realized it, and the instant the blade made contact with the level nine's flesh, he recoiled, his whole body smoking.

That was when the girl realized that the level nine had been hit with the same electricity as her, only a hundred times worse. She looked down at the weapon in her hand curiously. _'It… seems to be keeping me alert… more than trying to harm me…'_

Her thoughts were interrupted by a monstrous roar from the level nine, which didn't even seem humanoid in form anymore, his vampire instincts taking over to ensure his survival.

'_Crap. I don't know how to deal with these things.'_

* * *

><p>Luka watched in amazement as the girl somehow managed to fend off the level nine, even managing to deal him some serious damage. <em>'Wouldn't Ted love to see this, he's always grumbling about useless recruits!'<em>

Her relief was cut short when the level nine responded savagely, evolving even further. Luka glanced up at the sky; the sun would be rising soon.

'_But not soon enough,'_ she forced herself to her feet. _'Shame, I would have loved to have some tuna before I died…'_

She pressed her palms together and closed her eyes, focusing; bright light started forming between her palms.

'_Doing this in such a condition is insane…'_ Luka smiled. _'Lily would be proud.'_

Coughing out the blood that had been building up in her throat, she forced her slowing mind to think of an arrow.

"G-Go…" The light left her hands and she dropped to her knees immediately, watching, willing for it to hit its mark.

It did, and Luka felt herself slipping into the darkness as the level nine's existence was wiped out.

The last thing she recalled was someone cradling her head in their lap; tear-filled cerulean eyes as their owner shouted at her to not sleep, that the owner's name was-

"Miku…" Luka smiled faintly as she reached out a weak hand to caress her cheek, wondering why the name was so familiar.

All went black.

* * *

><p>Miku stared at the unconscious Hunter; the way that the Hunter had said her name had been like a caress, sending involuntarily shivers down her spine. <em>'Why… are you so familiar…?'<em>

"Miku-sama! Are you okay? The-" The blue-haired man stopped short at the sight of Miku. "A-A Hunter?"

"Shall I get rid of her?" The sound of a sword being unsheathed made Miku look up quickly in alarm.

"No Meiko, she saved my life." Miku absently stroked Luka's hair. _'What a pretty color… Pink… Pink and teal…'_ Miku straightened up. "We're teleporting out of here; the sun is rising soon and other Hunters will be all over the street once that happens."

"Got it!" The two of them said in unison.

Miku kept silent, all reports on what had happened would have to wait until later, for now, Miku felt the strangest urge to cuddle near the Hunter and watch her sleep, waiting till she awoke.

* * *

><p>Luka blinked and she sat up slowly, looking around the unfamiliar yet familiar room.<p>

'_Familiar?'_ Luka surveyed the enormous room, her eyes quickly adjusting to the darkness that the thick velvet curtains provided. _'I must have hit my head really, really hard, because I __definitely__ would have remembered seeing this room!'_

The main theme for the room seemed to be 'larger than life', which explained why the room was so huge, the bed gigantic, and the doors way over at the other end of the room. _'The training hall back at Headquarters, it's probably about this big…'_

Luka looked herself over and found that her injuries had nearly healed, with the wound on her palm closed and bandages wrapped around her side; and when she moved the pain was only a dull throb.

'_But I…'_ Luka thought back to how she had gotten rid of the level nine. _'That messed up my insides, but... I'm not dead?'_

She looked at herself again, to make sure that she wasn't dreaming.

Luka was wearing a white dress shirt, much like her old one; black trousers; and her waistcoat was nowhere to be seen.

'_It's probably all shredded up thanks to the fighting,'_ Luka sighed. That waistcoat had protected her to a certain degree, even if it couldn't compare to her coat, and now she was going to have to get herself a new set of uniform. Again.

'_At least the coat's still okay!'_ Luka brightened up as she got off the bed, walking over to where her coat had been slung over a chair at the dresser.

'_The girl…'_ Luka remembered when she touched the coat, and she put it on, wearing a pair of slippers that had been at the foot of the bed.

'_Might as well look around, perhaps I can find someone who can tell me what happened…'_

* * *

><p>'<em>This is terrible. What kind of awful place is this?'<em> Luka glared at the paintings that lined the walls. _'It's so… big! I'm sure that I walked past here at least three times!'_

She had been walking around for the past half an hour, trying to find someone to no avail.

'_Is it a law that big houses have to be empty?'_ Luka was getting even more irritated by the second; the setting sun was shining directly at this side of the house, the wide windows revealing a lush garden outside, as if mocking her inability to find her way down.

"Anyone here?" She called out for the umpteen time; receiving no answer except for the echo of her words.

"I give up." Luka sighed and wandered around, studying anything in the hallways that caught her interest. She stopped to inspect a suit of armor. _'There sure are tons of old stuff here…'_

Somehow, she ended up at a door and exhaustion finally getting the better of her (she couldn't find her way back into the room that she had woken up in). Pushing open the door of what was apparently the library, judging from the hundreds, if not thousands, of books that lined the shelves in the room, Luka walked in cautiously.

"You're awake." Luka followed the voice to a large space in the room, with several comfortable-looking chairs; and residing on one, was Miku.

"Drink?" Miku offered as she got off her seat to lead a bewildered Luka to the other end of the chaise where she had been sitting on. She filled a wineglass with some and pushed it into Luka's hands, urging her to drink.

"Try it, it's red wine. Several hundreds of years old, I can't really remember." Miku poured herself a glass and placed the bottle back on the table, looking at Luka anxiously. "Relax; I won't try to kill you or anything!"

"M-Must be… really rare…" Luka managed to choke out, a headache suddenly coming upon seeing Miku again. Luka forced herself to take a sip and smile.

"It's nothing, there are tons more down in the wine cellar." Miku relaxed a little and she gulped down the entire glass, whether it was from happiness at seeing Luka again or nervousness, Miku didn't know.

"It's rather… empty here," Luka clutched at the stem of the wineglass so furiously that her knuckles turned white. _'My head…'_

"Ahh, it's just that I normally wake up early." Miku beamed as she refilled her glass. "Are you feeling alright now? Your wounds were very severe."

"I'm fine, just a-" Luka realized something. "For how long was I unconscious?"

"Five days."

"Five days? Gumi's probably prepared my funeral!" Luka moaned at the mess that she would have to clean up once she got back, watching Miku refill her glass yet again. "Are you sure that you should be drinking so much? It's not good to drink, especially someone as young as yourself-"

"You still don't remember?" Miku cut in, looking highly amused and she started laughing.

There were many things that Megurine Luka could do, but she wasn't perfect; and one of the things that she _couldn't_ do was swear. (Not that she minded, Lily swore enough for the bother of them, but still…)

'_The signs! The signs! How could I have been so blind?'_ Luka's mind flashed to the enormous house, the stuff on display, Miku's words.

'_Great flaming tuna in the ocean.'_ Luka watched as Miku's laughter revealed two perfectly sharp, pointed fangs.

'_She's a vampire.'_

* * *

><p><strong>I'll be good and work on chapter three now, no more arcades _ ;<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Sigh... My PE teacher made me run and somehow I woke up to find myself in the hospital, a few days later. Turns out I fainted XD**

**Looks like the moral of the story is to never try to really run :D**

**Noooo! My bed beckons and I can't really access my email for some reason. Damn you hotmail.**

**Anyway, sorry for talking so much, but I just felt a random urge to answer reviews. That and the fact that I'm trying to put off taking the horrid medicine *constipated face***

**Artemis: Are you reading my mind or something? Cuz I swear that's what you seem to be doing. Really XD**

**Indecisive Pup: But yup, Project Diva Arcade, not the PSP. The one where you have to stand in front of the machine and press the triangles', squares', X's, O's and the graphics are awesome ^^ Oh, and with the card that you have to scan beforehand for your saved game. Yup, Project Diva Arcade XD**

**BuyMeABlueLolipop: I will try my best to finish this story, in fact, I have the ending already, just not the middle bits XD**

**PaperCutVictim: I really didn't dare do anything until I was done with the third chapter, I swear T^T**

**Kimera Kuroaki: I... Finally updated, so you can keep on reading this ^^ Thanks for the support~**

**Geo: Updated~~ I feel so relaxed when I saw your review. Random XD**

**Lukafan: Dance in the Vampire Bund? Haven't heard of that but I'll check it out if I remember~~ XD**

**Lovecakes98: Ooh, please do write your own Vampire fic too! The world needs more MikuxLuka stories. And you're welcome, hope you didn't faint :D**

* * *

><p>'<em>She's a vampire.'<em>

Instinctively, Luka's hands flew to her side where her missing katana normally resided.

"I won't try to kill you." Miku repeated as she caught Luka's wineglass just before it hit the floor. "You don't have to be in your Hunter mode."

'_She's fast!'_ Miku's smile seemed a little forced to Luka, and she caught a flash of disappointment and sadness in Miku's eyes before it was covered up by her mask of cheerfulness.

"I-I'm sorry… My hands moved before I could think..."

"It's okay! I would react in the same way if I was you, especially when you're such a seasoned Hunter! Your first instinct when you meet a vampire would probably be to kill." Miku thought back to how she had spent the past five days devouring any information of Luka that she could lay her hands on. It had been surprisingly easy since she had dozens at her disposal to gather information, but there were several large holes in her past that only Luka herself could answer.

"Well, there's nothing much I can do besides that," Luka laughed, slowly starting to relax again.

The door suddenly burst open, setting Luka on edge once more and Kaito appeared before them, bowing deeply.

"Good morning Miku-sama! Or should I say, good night!" His blue eyes twinkling in mischief, his grin grew even wider once he saw who was sitting next to Miku. "Hunter-san! You're finally awake!"

As he moved towards Luka, a hand reached out to grab the scarf hanging around his neck.

"Ack!" Kaito turned around to greet Meiko with a goofy grin. "Mei-chan! You're awake too! That's great!"

"Knock before you enter Kaito!" Meiko reminded as she pulled hard on the scarf. "And don't disturb poor Hunter-san! You're probably scaring her off with your stupidity!"

"They do that all the time," Miku patted Luka's leg reassuringly. "And don't worry, Kaito can't die from the lack of air, he's too stupid for that."

Miku wasn't too happy with Kaito for bursting in unannounced.

"Mei-chan!" Kaito wailed as he threw himself on her. "Miku-sama called me stupid!"

"You're going to be dead as well, if you don't get off me right now." Meiko threatened as she drew her sword, causing Kaito to obey immediately.

"Yes sir! Sorry sir!" Meiko sighed and shook her head, muttering something about idiots and how centuries of existence couldn't change them.

Luka watched their interaction with wide eyes; after all, it was her first time seeing vampires act so… human. But then again, whenever she had come across vampires in the past they had all been trying to kill each other so there hadn't been time for much pleasant conversation and observation.

"So… I'm in a mansion full of vampires right now?" Luka ventured a guess. _'My headache is probably because of my senses going crazy over the presence of so many vampires…'_

"Well, to put it more accurately, you're in an estate full of vampires right now!" Kaito beamed. "And without any weapons on you! Wow, you're brave!"

Luka's headache turned into a full-blown migraine.

Miku seemed to notice, for she then said, "Don't worry, I've ordered that no one is to try anything funny on you. If they do, I'll deal with them personally."

Although she was smiling, the cold aura around Miku and the silent promise in her words made all three of them shiver. Then Miku laughed and the spell was broken. "So, any questions Luka? We'll try our best to answer them."

"Yes…" Luka was certain that Miku would literally rip apart any one that dared touch her, even though she couldn't imagine Miku doing that; neither was she sure where the certainty came from. It was just a feeling. "Why were those vampires after you?"

At that question, the room was suddenly filled with a palpable silence.

"Well…" Miku wondered how she should go about explaining the situation. "I may not look like it-" She waved away Kaito's protests. "But I'm the Head of the Hatsune clan of vampires. However… I'm the only Hatsune left."

"The Hatsune clan has influence over a large region and there are others who want a piece too, and the simplest way is by getting rid of Miku-sama." Meiko picked up where Miku left off. "And she has to show herself in the city at times to ensure that the vampires there don't do anything that will reveal our existence to the humans."

"Miku-sama is really powerful! She just requires more training…" Kaito then frowned. "Miku-sama, there's trouble."

"I know." Miku said darkly. "He's coming."

"Let me help." Meiko stepped up to Luka, touching her temples with cool fingers. Luka felt her mind clear and she felt better instantly, her migraine disappearing.

"Thanks." Luka flashed Meiko a grateful smile, and, sensing eyes on her, she turned and saw Miku staring at them with what could only be described as jealousy in her eyes.

'_Jealousy? I must be thinking too much.'_

'_Nope, it's definitely jealousy.'_ A foreign voice chuckled inside Luka's mind.

Luka looked at Meiko with wide eyes. _'M-Meiko-san?'_

'_I'm telepathic, and I can read minds,'_ Meiko winked at Luka. _'And I know that I'm going to get it later, but for now it's fun to mess with her!'_

Meiko kissed a stunned Luka on the lips.

'_Oh yes, I'm soooo going to get it later! It's the first time I've seen her genuinely interested in someone, and a female Hunter no less! Still,'_ Meiko's eyes raked over Luka's body. _'You're hot.'_

"Kaito, Meiko. Go get things ready for his arrival." Miku fought to keep the scowl off her face when she saw Luka blush, further confirming that Meiko and Luka were having some sort of mental conversation. _'She kissed her! They kissed!'_

"Sure!" Meiko still had the cheek to wink at Miku before dragging Kaito away by his scarf. "Bye Luka-chan!"

'_L-Luka-chan? She's __so__ getting it later…'_ Miku clenched her fists as she watched Luka's eyes follow Meiko out. _'Luka… likes Meiko?'_

'_Don't leave me alone!'_ Luka panicked when the two left, sensing a murderous aura radiating from Miku. _'Come back Meiko-san!'_

'_You'll be fine; I should be the one worrying!'_

With that, the door to the library slammed shut, leaving Luka alone with a clearly furious Miku in silence.

'_Somebody help me.'_

* * *

><p>"How's it going?"<p>

"She still refuses to leave her room." Gakupo sighed. "I keep telling her that it's not her fault, no one could have predicted anything that happened, but she doesn't listen."

Lily frowned for a moment before she knocked on the door. "Gumi? Hey, open the door. If you stay cooped up in there, I'm going to break the door open and then Ted will hide all the carrots for a week! And I'm really serious about breaking down the door!"

The door slowly opened to reveal a teary-eyed Gumi who threw herself into Lily's arms.

"I'm so sorry!" She sobbed. "She's dead! It's already been five days since she went missing! If she was alive she would have contacted us, Luka's like that!"

"Hey, if it's wailing over Luka's death, then I call dibs." Lily soothed. "She's probably fine, recuperating in some out-of-the-way place where it's difficult to contact us! And she'll probably be worrying about having to get a new uniform; because it's a law of the universe that Megurine Luka gets her uniform burnt, shredded, exploded, or whatever that gets it destroyed whenever she goes out on a mission. That's also contributing to why she hasn't contacted us yet. Remember Ted's five-hour long lecture on the caring and protection of our uniforms?

"Are you sure?" Gumi looked at Lily doubtfully, yet she wanted to believe her.

"Of course! There was that time where it was fine for what, a few hours? Then she fell into a canal that she somehow managed to set on fire after kicking some vampires inside; but she left her coat in the canal. Ted wasn't too happy about the uniform and the canal being set ablaze, but how was we supposed to know that there was oil on the surface of the water?"

"No! I meant about Luka being alive!" Gumi recalled the canal incident. The remnant of the coat was… pitiful, as was the look on Luka's face when Ted had banned her from tuna for three days.

"She's alive, kid. I know that." Lily smiled. "They didn't find her katana anywhere and you know how attached to Luka that piece of metal is!" She patted Gumi's head. "Go get yourself some dinner and we'll talk more, I hear it's carrot soup today."

As Gumi obediently shuffled down the corridor and disappeared around the corner, Gakupo cleared his throat.

"Are you sure that you should be lying to her?"

"There's still a chance that she might be alive. I'm not lying to anyone."

"All traces of Luka disappeared at that street; there was evidence that she was seriously injured and she used that method." He sighed. "No one would have survived under such circumstances."

"How do you explain the missing katana then?"

"Simple. Someone took it."

"For someone who claims to be in love with Luka, you sure seem eager for her to be dead." Lily observed.

"I do not!" Gakupo flushed. "I'm not in love with Luka! I'm just stating facts!"

"Just toying with you Samurai boy," Lily yawned. "And that katana is special. Not just anyone can pick it up, much less use it. Luka was the only one I know who could touch it, and it pulverized any vampires that dared try stealing it."

"That katana has been passed down through the centuries, it's thought to be one of the first Hunter weapons to have been created, but so far, there has been no recorded history of anyone ever using it, until now." Ted popped out from nowhere to rest his hands on their shoulders, smiling.

"And what are two of my captains thinking, to be late for the meeting?" Ted's smile grew dangerous. "Don't tell me… you forgot?"

"O-Of course not!" Lily stammered. "We were just going there, right Gakupo?" She jabbed his stomach so hard that it caused him to stumble.

"R-right!" He said through gritted teeth.

"Good!" Ted beamed. "I'll overlook me having to come get you two personally today, but…"

"Anyway," He patted their heads like they were children. "The katana will find its way back to the Hunters' Headquarters somehow, it always does, and hopefully with it, it's wielder."

Gakupo though back to the last time he had seen Luka.

* * *

><p><strong>Flashback<strong>

"Luka-chan?" He pushed the door to her office open. "Are you around?"

"Gakkun!" Luka greeted as she buckled on her katana. "I have to go now, can we talk later? There has been a sign of vampire activity and my team has to go check it out. Sorry!"

"Sure!" He faked a smile, the small velvet box in his pocket with its precious content resting against his leg; it would stay there for quite a while longer.

"Be careful!" He leaned forward to kiss her cheek.

"I will, don't worry!" Luka smiled and she left.

* * *

><p>'<em>Luka…'<em> Gakupo sighed. _'Where are you?'_

As Lily entered the meeting room after Ted, she turned back to Gakupo.

"I really meant what I said earlier. I know that Luka's alive."

'_I told Gumi not to worry, but I…'_ Gakupo recalled the sinking feeling in his gut when Gumi had first told him that Luka was gone. _'Luka doesn't go down that easily; the two of us didn't grow up together for nothing!'_

He smiled at Lily. "I believe that Luka's out there somewhere, still alive."

'_If I don't believe myself, then I can't expect Gumi to believe me as well.'_

"Let's search for her." As Lily grinned at his suggestion, Gakupo had only one thought in his mind, the box in his pocket a constant reminder. _'Luka, I have something very important to tell you…'_

* * *

><p>"Welcome Tomonori-sama!"<p>

"Thank you, all of you!" Despite the easy-going nature that Tomonori displayed; he was an Ancient, one of the few vampires that had survived throughout the ages, living a considerable amount of years to become one of the most powerful vampires around.

In a way, vampires were like wine; they got better with age.

"To what do we owe the honor of this visit, Tomonori-sama?" Kaito said respectfully, choosing his words with care. If it ever came to a fight, not even Miku could take Tomonori on easily and she was the oldest amongst them all within the vampires living on Hatsune land. Ancients were not people to be offended lightly.

"Ah, it's nothing important actually." Tomonori smiled as he ran a hand through his brown hair, eyes scanning those present. "Where's Miku-chan?"

"Miku-sama will be here shortly, she just woke up." Meiko lied smoothly.

"Well," Tomonori laughed. "You know, I heard the strangest rumor about Miku-chan and a Hunter…"

* * *

><p>"Come, we must get you back to my room!" Miku forced down her anger as she dragged Luka out of the library, and into the empty hallway. "Before he comes!"<p>

"He?"

"Another vampire. You'll never know what he might do, and I don't want to risk him trying anything on you, because I don't know if I'll be able to kill him if he does." Miku said seriously, suppressing a snarl. _'No one touches what is mine!'_

Luka then realized that Miku really would protect her, and she decided to ask about her missing katana another time.

"Thank you Miku," Luka smiled. _'It's rather sweet, really. Now if only she would stop gripping my wrist so hard…'_

They stopped in front of an ornate door that Miku pushed open without hesitation and pulled Luka in, and once her eyes adjusted to the sudden darkness, Luka realized that they were in the room where she had woken up in.

"T-This is your bedroom?"

"Yup!" Miku smiled; her serious mood seemingly over and she walked over to the bedside table to switch on a lamp, Luka following her. "None of us sleep in coffins or in the ground, maybe except those with nowhere to stay."

"So… when I was unconscious…"

"I slept next to you!" Miku beamed. "The bed's big enough, and besides, it's nice to sleep next to someone warm!" She took Luka's hands in her own, bringing them up to her cheek. "See! You're all warm and toasty, unlike me."

'_If I didn't know any better, I'd think that she's trying to flirt with me…'_ Luka didn't know what she should be disturbed by; the fact that a vampire was calling her 'warm and toasty' while holding her hand or the fact that she had been sleeping next to said vampire who had hinted at cuddling up with her while she was unconscious.

'_Whatever.'_ Luka smiled back. _'Miku… She sure is a strange one…'_

"Are you thinking about Meiko?"

"Huh? Um, I meant yes!" Caught off guard, Luka hadn't heard the question and agreed with whatever Miku had said. _'She probably asked about whether I liked the room or something…'_

To Luka's surprise, Miku suddenly dropped her hands like they were hot coals.

"I'm sorry… I'm probably making you cold by touching you…" Miku looked sad as she turned to leave. "I'll just go."

"Wait!" Luka managed to grab one of Miku's twin tails. Her head started to throb painfully.

* * *

><p>"<em>Wait!" A hand reached out to grab hers. "Must you go?"<em>

"_I must, my love." Luka heard herself saying as she bent forward to drop a kiss on her lover's palm. "The other Hunters require my help."_

_There was a short silence in which Luka knew that her love was frowning, toying around with the idea of not letting her go. Then she heard a sigh and she was drawn into a cool embrace, her love hugging her tightly._

"_Be careful."_

"_I will."_

* * *

><p>"Luka? Are you okay?" Miku peered at her in concern. Luka had suddenly blanked out, leaving Miku wondering if she had really recovered enough from her ordeal. Miku knew that Hunters healed faster than normal humans, but then again Miku wasn't an expert on the topic of Hunters.<p>

"Huh? I-I'm fine…" Luka blushed uncharacteristically as she stared at the vampire before her. Even though the face of her love in that sudden… vision was in shadow, something told Luka that her love might be Miku.

'_Wait. What am I thinking? That's complete and utter rubbish! I don't have any secret relationships with anyone! I would know if I did!'_ Luka scolded herself as she looked back at Miku, meeting her eyes shyly.

"Be… careful."

Miku didn't laugh or make any comments on how weird Luka was behaving, she merely smiled gently.

"I will."

"Wait!" Luka once again caught one of Miku's twin tails as she turned to leave.

"I… I, umm, that is…" Luka didn't know why she had asked Miku to stop yet again. _'Even if Miku doesn't show it, she's probably irritated with me right now…'_

Luka wanted to let go of Miku, put something possessed her to hold on.

'_I can't let her leave, not now, especially not when she's like this!'_

'_Like what?'_ Luka asked herself before she felt her mouth form words. "I… was thinking about you…"

With a sudden growl, Miku had Luka pinned down on the bed, their eyes met for a moment before Luka's lips were captured in a fierce kiss.

Luka closed her eyes as images started to flash by in her mind.

* * *

><p>"Your coat would have protected you, if you hadn't given it to me." She looked guilty. "Why?"<p>

"Uhh…" Luka tried to think of a good excuse, coming up with none. "I…"

"You do know that I'm also a vampire, right?" The girl watched her curiously, as though expecting a violent reaction from Luka.

"Of course! I knew from the first moment I spotted you." Luka smiled, but the girl frowned at her.

"Why?"

"Geez, get a vocabulary already, will you?" Luka studied the serious girl for a moment before an idea struck her. "You really know why I saved you?"

"Yes."

"Well…" Luka paused for dramatic effect. "They call me PedoLuka."

The girl stared at Luka.

Luka stared back.

The girl burst into laughter. "I'm probably way, way, way older than you are!"

"That's it," Luka beamed. "Cute young- or at least, young-looking- girls like you shouldn't have to look so serious." A hand reached out to stroke the girl's cheek. "Or even have to force yourself to smile and laugh. It gets tiring, doesn't it?"

The girl froze, wondering how a total stranger could know her so well.

'_Maybe not really a total stranger…'_ Somehow the girl knew that she could trust this person before her.

"I know vampires have special powers, and I can tell that you're a powerful one." Luka continued naturally, as if she wasn't sitting at the side of an abandoned city, stroking the cheek of one of the creatures that she was supposed to kill; with another one of those creatures running blindly around the street trying to kill them.

"Can you suppress my memories?" The girl looked shocked at Luka's request, causing Luka to chuckle and gesture at herself. "I think both you and I know that I'm in no fit condition to move around right now. And neither of us are able to take down that," Luka pointed at the level nine, which was currently tossing cars over in a bid to find them.

"But if you suppress my memories, I should be able to move, seeing as my body will forget how injured it is." Luka finished. "So?"

"But you'll die! It's too dangerous!" The girl protested before Luka tilted her chin up to gaze into her eyes.

"There are… your friends, coming for you too, right?" Luka smiled when the girl slowly nodded. "Good. I promise that I'll try not to die, so you have to promise me that you'll try to stay alive too, okay? It only seems fair."

"But-"

"I want to protect you." Luka stated, earning her a blush from the girl. "And I know that I've probably hit my head really hard just now and I've gone insane, but I also know that I want to see you again. Won't you let me protect you?"

Wordlessly, the girl took Luka's wounded hand and licked at the wound there, tasting Luka's blood, her face a similar shade of red as the blood.

"Forget." She ordered, staring into Luka's eyes.

"Your hand is still bleeding." Luka snapped out of her daze and looked away…

* * *

><p>Luka's eyes snapped open as the weight pinning her down lifted, and panting heavily, she sat up to stare at a blushing Miku, her own cheeks flaming red.<p>

"I… should have, uhh, given you back your memories sooner…" Miku fidgeted. "Bye!"

She was gone.

'_What…_' Luka lied back down, staring at the canopy of the bed, thinking about what just happened. _'I must have gone batshit insane to have said all of those things, especially to someone that I just met! Although…'_ Luka couldn't shake off the feeling that she had met Miku before.

'_I really must be PedoLuka, to have enjoyed that kiss…'_

* * *

><p>'<em>Stupid!'<em> Miku leaned against the door to her bedroom. Things between Luka and her had been just fine, until Miku had gone and done _that_. Taking a look in the mirror that was conveniently situated across the hall; she realized that she was blushing.

'_I don't blush!'_ Miku stared, horrified, and she realized that she wasn't supposed to do many other things, either. She wasn't supposed to laugh, she wasn't supposed to get angry, she wasn't supposed to get jealous, she wasn't supposed to kiss a human, and most importantly, she wasn't supposed to feel any sort of attachment to a Hunter.

Miku cursed the possessive inner beast within her; she was a pureblood, one of the vampires who, by the grace of blood, did not sink into the animalistic behavior of the low-levels who always craved blood, but the instinct was still there.

When she saw Meiko kiss Luka, her vision had turned red for a moment and she was filled with the sudden urge to strike down Meiko, who had served her loyally for centuries, for touching what was hers.

'_Meiko was just flirting! She always does that!'_ Miku glared at her reflection as if that could somehow lessen the urge she had to strangle the brunette. _'And Luka isn't mine!'_

'_Liar.'_

"Shut up!" Miku scowled, knowing very well herself that she was indeed lying. "She's not some… some object!"

'_But she is yours.'_

"That's right." The words were out of her mouth before she could stop herself. Miku looked at the bedroom door guiltily.

"I hope she doesn't find out that I kissed her because I wanted to and not to restore her memories…"

'_So what if she finds out? She'll be thinking about you now, and nothing else.'_

"True," Miku smirked as her thumb traced her lower lip, pleased that she had erased all trace of Meiko from Luka. "She isn't allowed to think about anybody else."

* * *

><p>Luka sneezed repeatedly, wondering why the room had felt so empty all of a sudden without Miku around.<p>

She sneezed again.

'_Someone must be talking about me…'_

A sudden chill filled her as she felt unseen eyes watching her.

'_I'm coming for you, Megurine Luka…'_

* * *

><p><strong>I was just looking at the first chapter, then I realised that somehow, zombies had appeared in it. Wow. I can't remember how they got there XD<strong>

**P.s. I think Miku kissed Luka cuz she was pissed with Luka pulling at her hair. Lol. Who am I kidding?**

**By the way, do me a favor dear readers, and answer this random and pointless question of mine. Left or right?**


	3. Chapter 3

**Important Note: Unfortunately, the author is currently in an extremely delicate frame of health right now, hence updates for any stories, if any, will most probably be erratic. Apologies for any inconvenience caused.**

* * *

><p>"Tomonori-san."<p>

"Miku-chan!" He turned from his spot before the fireplace, where he had been deep in thought before she had entered the room. Bowing over her extended hand, he kissed it before straightening up. "How have you been?"

"As well as I have always been," Miku kept her eyes on him as he wandered around the room aimlessly, feigning interest in some of the objects in the room. She decided to get straight to the point. "Why are you here, Tomonori-san?"

"Well…" He pretended to think for a moment. "I heard through the grapevine, a rather _intriguing_ story… one that involves you… and a Hunter, of all people…"

"Really?" Miku feigned calm, smiling at him.

"Really…" Tomonori smiled. "Something about a Hunter rescuing you from some other vampires that were sent after you, getting hurt in the process, and you took the injured Hunter in." He fixed Miku with a bemused gaze. "Is that true?"

"I think you already know the answer to that question, Tomonori-san." Miku forced herself to keep smiling. "Don't you?"

"I see that things between you and him are still unresolved, if he is still trying to get rid of you." Tomonori studied Miku closely. "Perhaps you should find yourself some allies-"

He sniffed the air suddenly, eyes gleaming red before he disappeared.

'_I told her to stay inside!'_ Miku instantly knew what had happened and she dashed after him.

* * *

><p>"Is this the place?"<p>

He checked the map. "Yes, Master stated it very clearly."

"Well then," He dropped the map as a shovel was pushed into his hands. "Let's start digging."

* * *

><p>Luka had been staring out of the window when something crashed into her and slammed her against a wall; and then something else slammed into the thing pinning her to the wall and Luka's newly healed ribs protested at all the abuse.<p>

"Careful." An arm snaked around her waist and kept her steady, preventing her from falling as Luka blinked, trying to re-orientate herself.

"She's my _guest_, Tomonori!" Miku glowered, all attempts at being nice forgotten. "You don't attack my guests, _unless you want to fight_."

"Relax," Luka tried to calm Miku, recalling her words about Tomonori from before. "I'm sure that he didn't mean to do that; don't forget that I'm a Hunter, naturally his first instincts would be to kill me."

"I apologize for my behavior," Tomonori wiped the cut on his lip with a finger, staring at the blood on it with mild amusement on his face. "The Hunter is right; I didn't mean to attack her."

Miku forced herself to take a deep breath; fighting the insidious whispers in her mind urging her to rip out his throat. She already had enough problems on her hands; she didn't need another to weigh her down.

'_Liar. He wanted to drink her blood!'_

Miku had recognized the position, all vampires would. Her hands trembled and her fists clenched instinctively; squeezing her eyes shut as she fought to keep the snarl from escaping her throat.

'_Blood that isn't his to drink!'_

Somehow, the thought of someone other than her sinking sharp fangs into Luka's lovely neck and drawing blood was enough to drive her wild.

"I suggest that you leave now, Tomonori-sama." Meiko said evenly, as if she wasn't holding a blade to the throat of a vampire who could slash her apart with his powers currently if he chose to. Behind her stood Kaito, wearing a look of confusion on his face, but Meiko knew that he would cover her back if the need arose.

"Miku-sama is especially grouchy today, I'm afraid."

"Of course, of course." Tomonori agreed, his eyes never leaving Miku.

'_Luka, can you get her back to her room? Kaito and I will deal with this. And be careful, she might attack you.'_ Meiko shot her an apologetic glance. _'Sorry.'_

'_It's okay, I can handle it.'_ Luka relaxed her tight grip on Miku's arm, relieved at the appearance of Meiko and Kaito.

"Miku…" She nudged her lightly. "Let's go back to your room, okay?" Luka half dragged, half pushed a silent Miku to her bedroom, which Luka miraculously found somehow without much wandering around.

"Are you okay?" Luka asked once she managed to get Miku to sit on her bed. She knelt before Miku, trying to see her face but Miku hid behind her curtain of hair, unwilling to meet Luka's eyes.

Luka took hold of her hand. "What's wrong?"

Suddenly she found herself being pulled up and the next thing she knew, Miku was pinning her to the bed, restraining Luka's arms to her side with a feral look in her gleaming red eyes as she bared her fangs at Luka.

"Aren't you afraid that I'll kill you?" Miku lightly scraped her fangs on the skin of Luka's neck. "I can just plunge my fangs into your neck _right now_ and drain you of every single drop of blood in your body, leaving you as a withered husk!"

'_You'll be dead, and I'll be free… free of all these troublesome feelings…'_

Luka met Miku's gaze calmly, not minding at all how similar Miku was acting like those vampires that she hunted each night, not minding that Miku was so close to her while acting in such a manner.

"You won't hurt me."

Miku froze, allowing Luka to pull one hand free and rest it on Miku's cheek.

Luka smiled at her.

"You won't hurt me on purpose."

The tension slowly drained away from Miku and her eyes returned to their normal cerulean as she looked at Luka reproachfully.

"Stupid." She chastised. "What if I really do that someday?"

"Then you'll stop before you kill me," Luka answered, still smiling. "Right?"

"Stupid. You shouldn't place all your faith in me." Miku found herself smiling back despite her misgivings. Unable to resist it any longer, she bent down and kissed Luka, quickly drawing back when she realized that Luka was lying stiffly in response.

She stared down at Luka, who had a look of agony on her face. Miku quickly got off her, highly alarmed.

"Luka?"

"My… ribs. Oww."

Miku had a thunderous expression as she scowled fiercely. "I really should have bashed his head through the wall."

* * *

><p><em>Clink!<em> The shovel hit something metallic.

"Hey, I think I've got something over here!" He exclaimed, sending his friend hurrying over to check.

"I think you're right…" His friend stuck his shovel through the dirt. "Let's continue digging."

"If only I could command all the dirt on top to get lost or something." He mused. "You do know that we have more than just a couple of feet to dig if we're on the right track."

"What, think you're a vampire?" His friend snorted. "Get back to digging."

'_Oh, just wait and see… when Master bestows me the gift, you'll see…'_

* * *

><p>"I'm surprised that my ribs haven't been ground to dust by now." Luka groaned. "I think I cracked a few of them around with the whole slamming into the wall thing earlier."<p>

"Idiot! You should have told me earlier!" Miku chided, ready to panic. "What if your lung or something is punctured? You'll die from internal bleeding!"

"You're the idiot. I won't be able to move around if all that really happened… I think." Luka smiled weakly, finding an opportunity to warn Miku. "Besides, he wouldn't have drunk my blood; he only wanted to see your reaction. And-"

"I don't care if he wanted to see my reaction, and I don't care if he saw it." Miku gently probed Luka's side, the scowl still on her face. "Because he can't drink your blood, your blood is mi- I mean, you're my guest! He can't just randomly attack you! I won't allow it!"

_Because your blood is mine._

"I know…" Luka absently said, wincing a little when Miku's fingers touched a sore spot. "Vampires aren't supposed to drink the blood of Hunters, am I right?"

"Right…" Miku agreed a little reluctantly. "I think you should…" She tried to change the subject. "Change the bandages!"

"Change the bandages?" Luka repeated questioningly.

"Yup, change your bandages!" Miku nodded her head vigorously, trying to forget how thirsty she felt all of a sudden; studiously avoiding looking at Luka. "I'll leave you alone to do it then, you can find fresh bandages in that drawer-"

"I might need some help." Luka gave her an awkward smile and all thoughts of escaping fled Miku.

"O-Of course I'll h-help! It's n-not like I haven't seen y-you nake- I mean, I'm glad to be of service! Anything to make my guest's stay more comfortable! Ehehehe~~~"

Luka shot her a strange look, but she otherwise didn't comment on the disturbing perverted laughter from Miku.

Locking eyes with Miku, Luka rolled up her shirt slightly.

With trembling fingers, Miku found the knot holding Luka's bandages together and she slowly pulled it loose, noting how Luka's heart rate sped up when her cool fingers brushed against Luka's flushed skin.

'_She won't mind… bite her…'_ The voice in her head suggested. _'Maybe welcome it even… you know how pleasurable humans find it…'_

_'No!'_ Miku resisted. _'I-It's… it's rude!'_

'_Rude? That's a really lame excuse.'_ The voice laughed. _'You just don't want to scare her away.'_

"Hey Miku… Do you take after your mother? I mean, do the two of you look alike?"

If it was possible, Miku turned even paler and her movements stilled.

"No…" Miku's reply was as cool as the air on a winter morning. "We- _I_ took after my father, my mother was… the two of us didn't look alike… but I can't really remember, it's been so long."

_What are you doing?_

_Run!_

_Sorry mother dearest._

_Miku, run!_

"I'm so sorry!" Luka apologized profusely, noting how Miku was referring to her parents in past tense. "It's just-"

Miku decided that she could play unfair once in a while.

"Sleep," She ordered Luka, who was in no shape to resist her command; saving Miku from having to answer any more awkward questions.

* * *

><p>"How is it?"<p>

"Just a little more Master," He bowed respectfully. "Or will you use your powers to…?"

His master looked at him, amused, before sweeping his arms apart and the earth followed; noting how his servant's eyes followed his every move greedily. _'Fools who lust after immortality…'_

"Open it."

"Right away Master!" He hurriedly obeyed and jumped into the hole, using a crowbar that his friend tossed to him to pry open the rotting wood; turning away in disgust when the stench of decay filled the air once the cover of the coffin was off.

"Master?" He said inquisitively when his master suddenly joined him in the hole, walking around the coffin before stopping at the head. He received no answer and he watched as his master slit a wrist, holding it out over the mouth of the withered corpse in the coffin, allowing a few drops of red liquid to fall.

To his surprise, the corpse's eyes shot open to glare at his master.

All of a sudden, cold hands pushed him, causing him to stumble and fall onto the _thing_ in the coffin.

He then heard his master's voice saying, "Enjoy your meal."

The last thing he saw was his friend joining him in the hole, and he saw no more.

Good thing they had been digging in a desolate area.

* * *

><p>"Rest well Luka," Miku kissed her forehead affectionately and tucked her securely under the covers once she was done changing Luka's bandages. She felt a little guilty over resorting to such a method, but Luka had unwittingly opened a can of worms that Miku wasn't sure if the both of them could handle.<p>

"Is she okay?"

"She needs rest, other than that she's fine." Miku wasn't surprised at all to see Meiko waiting patiently outside her door.

"You didn't…?"

"I didn't attack her, if that's what you're asking." Miku thought back to Luka's lack of reaction to her threat. "She's… I don't think I can, you know?"

"Ahh…" Meiko noted the small smile on Miku's face. "I don't know much, but what I do know is that someone's infatuated with a certain pink-haired Hunter~!"

"Shut up." Miku scowled to hide her embarrassment, but it only served to make Meiko laugh.

"This seems like one of that instant attraction kind of stuff you see in stories; or especially in shojō manga! To think that the awe-mighty Miku-sama has fallen to such a fate!" Meiko laughed even harder, and then sobered up.

"Still, infatuated or not; don't let it get too serious… After all, she's a Hunter and you're a vampire."

'_You might have to fight her someday…'_ Miku frowned upon hearing Meiko's voice in her head, looking at the taller brunette with a serious expression of her own.

"I know."

Meiko nodded and turned to leave, but Miku grabbed her arm to stop her.

"Meiko… do you find Luka…" She thought of a suitable word. "Familiar?"

"Not at all…" Meiko searched her memory. "We've never really had to deal with Hunters before. Why do you ask?"

"It's nothing important…" Miku sighed. "I just… find Luka really familiar, that's all. Like I know her really well, and... I don't know; it's just a feeling."

"Well…" Meiko scratched her head. "I have no advice for that. And wow, this is really starting to sound like something out of a manga."

"The thought of you reading shojō manga is disturbing," Miku retorted. "I thought your only interest was drinking?"

"Well, that's my main interest. But I also like reading manga, especially those yuri ones involving girls with teal and pink-"

"S-Stop!" Miku flushed, at a loss for words. "That is- I mean, you should-"

"Lend them to you?" Meiko winked. "I don't mind; you know, for someone who's centuries old you really are-"

Miku tuned out the rest of her words. _'Honestly, if she hadn't helped out earlier I would be able to whack her without feeling guilty… oh, that's right… she helped…'_

"Meiko? Thanks for the help earlier," Miku said earnestly once Meiko was done with her little speech. "I definitely would have lost control and ruined everything if you hadn't appeared."

"That's part of my job; reining in you idiots from creating chaos and wreaking havoc on the world." Meiko shook her head and faked a sigh. "Really, what would you do without me?"

"Create chaos and wreak havoc on the world, of course." Miku replied sportingly. "But still, thank you."

"Okay, okay, enough already! You're welcome, and please don't say that anymore." Meiko made a face. "You make me feel like the blue idiot after eating too much ice-cream." She winked at Miku. "Well, I've got things to do; hope Luka-chan's having sweet dreams. Ciao teal idiot~!"

'_Oh and Meiko?'_ Miku saw her freeze in her tracks and sweatdrop; having read Miku's mind.

'_I'll overlook the first time; but infatuation or not, I don't like to share.'_

Meiko smiled weakly and hurried away, leaving a smirking Miku behind.

* * *

><p>Luka was, in fact, dreaming like what Meiko had mentioned.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Dream Flashback**

"Gakkun! Gakkun!" The little girl coughed, trying to expel the smoke that had been drawn into her lungs. "Where are you?"

"Luka-chan!" The boy found her and he pulled her to the ground. "Stay down, the smoke rises. You breathe easier on the ground."

"Gakkun… What happened? There was a sudden explosion and Hiromi-san disappeared-" Luka then noticed that the boy was gripping onto a sword tightly, a sword that she had last seen hanging at the side of the Hunter who had been showing them around their new home.

"Y-You're bleeding!"

"So are you, Luka-chan." Luka wouldn't have noticed the cut on her forehead had he not pointed it out; Gakupo merely grinned at her when she shot him a worried look.

"Just our luck ne? The vampires chose to attack the Hunters' Headquarters on the day we come! Isn't that exciting?"

"Baka! It's dangerous!" She scolded nervously. "And what are you doing with Hiromi-san's sword anyway?"

His face fell.

"Hiromi-san… h-he gave it to me! For… protection, he said!"

"Hiromi-san is dead… isn't he?" She always knew it when Gakupo lied, and he wasn't a very good liar. "And you've… you've been in a fight!"

"There were… some vampires! They wanted to t-tear up Hiromi-san's body!" His grip on the sword tightened. "I couldn't let that happen! They… they…"

"It's okay…" Luka whispered soothingly, finding his hand and giving it a light squeeze. She knew that Gakupo was probably reminded of his parents, who had sacrificed themselves to allow the two of them to survive an attack by vampires.

"They're coming."

"W-What? Who's coming?" Luka panicked as Gakupo let go of her hand and stood; the hefty weapon he held before him defensively an odd contrast with his small frame. "Gakkun, who's-"

Out of the smoke suddenly appeared a gruesome sight that haunted her nightmares; blood red eyes and razor-sharp nails, jagged teeth and pale inhuman features; Luka had lost count of how many people she had seen killed by vampires; this one headed straight for Gakupo without hesitation.

"Gakkun!"

Luka watched as Gakupo effortlessly killed the vampire, putting his previous lessons with his father to good use; yet he seemed to be struggling with the weight of his chosen weapon and another vampire simply pushed him away as it dashed towards Luka, sensing easy prey.

"Run, Luka!"

Luka tried to get up, but her legs wouldn't obey her and she could only watch in horror as the vampire came closer and closer to her, crimson liquid dripping off its nails; from somewhere she heard Gakupo grunt as he abandoned the sword and dived, grabbing its ankle.

The vampire fell, but it shook him off and crawled towards Luka, its hand getting closer and closer-

"You know, you should at least try running away or something." The vampire's head suddenly burst open, splattering bits of body matter all over Luka.

"Name's Lily, Masuda Lily." Her savior, a blonde girl around the same age, struck a pose with the gun in her hand. "Nice ta meet cha!"

"Wow," She took a closer look at Luka. "Don't you need a bath!"

"That's your entire fault stupid!" Gakupo glared as he knelt before Luka, who was extremely close to hyperventilating.

"Luka?" He said gently. "It's alright now, don't worry. It's safe."

An explosion shook the building, contradicting his words.

"We should get your girlfriend somewhere safe," Lily commented. "I think the fight's coming this way."

"She's not my girlfriend!" Gakupo scowled, turning his attention back to Luka. "Luka, you need to find somewhere to hide and stay there till everything's over." He waved his hand in front of her face but received no response. "Luka?

"I think she's in shock. Let me try," Lily pushed him away and sat in front of Luka.

"Hey, your name's Luka right?" Lily tilted her chin up. "You know, you should be really pissed with me right now for getting your clothes all dirty. Come on, scream! Hit me! Or whatever!"

Luka just continued to stare at Lily blankly.

"I expected something like this." Lily sighed and adopted her most serious facial expression.

"Luka, Luka, Luka. If you don't get mad about the state of your clothes, the universe will curse you to ruin your Hunter uniform every time you go out on a mission! Then that old man Ted will ban you from your favorite food or drink as punishment! And he'll purposely eat or drink it in front of you!"

Luka didn't even blink.

"Well… that didn't work either."

"Of course it didn't!" Gakupo exploded. "What kind of stupid persuasion was that?"

"You already said it, the stupid kind." Lily pointed the gun at the empty hallway and fired; there were pained snarls and the sound of bodies hitting the floor was heard soon after. "Besides, I don't see you succeeding either."

"Well-" He had nothing to say. "T-Then you shouldn't have shot it in the head, especially when it was in front of her!"

"To kill a vampire, you either shoot it in the heart, or the head." Lily recited. "And since it was crawling on the floor, the head's a much easier target, don't you think? In any case, it saved her life." Lily smirked. "Which you had obviously been failing at, from how close it was to her."

"I-" Gakupo flushed. "I-"

"Stop it! Stop it!"

"Luka?" Gakupo rushed over to her. "I won't argue with her any more if you don't like it-"

"T-There's so many… my head hurts!" The pink-haired girl complained, clutching her head. "And there's more near us!"

There was a dawning look of realization on Lily's face and she laughed. "Nothing like a good bath in vampire body bits to awaken your Hunter senses, ne?"

"We should head for the underground floors. Hiromi-san mentioned that they are well guarded, so we should be safer there." Gakupo decided and he went to pick up the sword. "Coming with us, Lily-san?"

"No, don't go down! It's even more dangerous!" Luka protested. "Trust me Gakkun!"

"It's easy to get confused Luka-chan," Gakupo smiled kindly at her. "Don't worry, Lily-san and I are here, we'll protect you! I swear on my name as Kamui Gakupo and on my honor as a Kamui."

"Don't I get a say in any of this?" Lily asked jokingly as she helped Luka up, wiping Luka's face with her sleeve. "But since Luka's rather cute; I'll help! And just Lily is fine, _Gakkun_."

"Whatever." Gakupo mumbled as he held out a hand for Luka to take. "Come on Luka-chan."

"She's with me!" Lily clung onto Luka's arm, shooting Gakupo a devious grin. "I can handle a gun with one hand, but you look like could use two."

"Fine," Gakupo huffed, clearly displeased, but he didn't say anything about it. "You two go first, I'll cover our backs."

"But-" Luka started to say before he cut her off.

"It's okay, the three of us are together, and we'll find a place to hide-"

The sound of rapid footsteps approaching interrupted.

"Gakkun, from the headache I'm having I'm sure that those aren't friendly." Lily broke into a sudden run, forcing Luka to run as well, Gakupo following closely behind. "We gotta get outta here, there's too much for us to handle!"

"I know!" Gakupo sneaked a quick glance back. "They're following us!"

'_Damn, at this rate we'll-'_

"H-Here… Hiromi-san let me l-look at it earlier…" Lily stopped and stared at what Luka had pressed into her hand, a wide grin growing with each passing second.

"Awesome! You're totally my type of girl!" Lily kissed Luka, much to Gakupo's shock and horror, and she threw the grenade behind them.

"Come on," She grabbed Luka's hand as the grenade detonated, the adrenaline rush sending her into a fit of giggling. "Let's go!"

"Hey, why the hell did you do that for Masuda?"

* * *

><p>"Oww…" Luka's vision swam and she rubbed her head. "My head… it hurts like I slammed into a wall headfirst…"<p>

"Good to see that you're awake now Luka!"

'_That voice… Lily?'_ Luka recognized. She looked around. "Where are you?"

"Up here."

Luka looked up.

Hanging several feet above her was Lily and Gakupo, the latter unconscious, trussed up like chickens awaiting slaughter.

"W-What are the two of you doing up there?"

"Oh you know, just hanging around." Lily laughed but stopped when she saw the look on Luka's face.

"Sleeping beauty here," Lily jerked her chin at Gakupo, "Hit his head. All of us hit our heads pretty hard."

"Hit our heads?"

"You don't remember? We went to the underground floors and we bumped into a whole bunch of vampires that were really powerful and… we ended up like this!" Lily beamed, feeling rather relieved that Luka couldn't remember anything. _'This means that she won't remember that all the Hunters in the underground floors have been killed…'_

"Are you okay?" The two of them looked none worse for the wear, but it didn't hurt to make sure.

"Other than the fact that I'm hanging from a rope with my arms pinned at my sides and enough rope to keep me warm? Yup, I'm fine!" Lily joked. "Cheer up; at least you aren't hanging around like us! When you itch, you can't scratch. It's pure torture. And we're tied rather securely; the rope's strong, so no worries about us falling on you."

'_That means I'm alone…'_ Luka realized that they were in a cave. "How did they get you up there?"

Lily's face grew serious. "Be careful, there's one vampire amongst them that can manipulate the earth… But I think they are here for something else so you should be fine right where you are, since I'm not sure remaining here or running around is more dangerous."

"But wow, pretty fancy lighting system!" Her expression lightened as she continued talking in an attempt to keep Luka's mind away from the subject of vampires. I never knew that they installed lights down here, Hunters seem more like the type that preferred burning torches."

"True…" Luka looked around. "But it would be easy to get lost in here, I bet." She remembered Gakupo. "How's Gakkun?"

"Well," Lily grinned mischievously. "I think it's time to wake sleeping beauty up, Lily style."

"The two of you are hanging pretty far apart…" Luka glanced around, trembling suddenly. _'So far so good, no vampires around…'_

Lily winked. "Playing on the swings at the playground is really educational!"

Luka watched as Lily wriggled about, moving her body forwards and backwards to gain momentum, like how one would when playing on a swing. Surprisingly, it was working and Lily got closer to Gakupo with each swing.

"And… bull's eye!" Lily exclaimed as her feet made contact with Gakupo, dealing him a wobbly kick.

"W-Wha?" Gakupo regained consciousness in time to see Lily kick him on the butt. "I'm awake! I'm awake!"

"Well, what do you know? The third time really is the charm." Lily smirked. "Took you long enough; even Luka woke up before you."

"Even- Luka! Are you okay?" He shouted as he tried to see her. "Luka?"

"Oh yes, I'm totally fine Gakkun! Thanks for the concern!" Lily said sarcastically. "Way to go genius! Start screaming and shouting so the vampires can come."

Right on cue, a vampire with the appearance of an elderly gentleman materialized out of the shadows.

"All of you are awake? What luck! Which should we pick?"

Several others appeared.

"Take the pink one."

"I agree. She looks the most innocent out of the three."

"Don't forget, the other two had weapons."

"Caused quite a ruckus earlier, those two. The pink one seems rather timid so no need to worry about opposition."

Cloth was stuffed into Luka's mouth as a gag, and the elderly vampire placed his hands firmly on her shoulders.

"I'm not going to tie you up, but if you…" Luka nodded her head quickly to show that she understood, fighting back tears. "Good."

"Let her go, you monsters!" Gakupo shouted from above. "You evil fiends!" He spat at them. "All of you should just die!"

A hand reached out and caught his spit before it hit.

"Kid, you're getting on my nerves." The vampire smirked evilly as he wiped his hand on a handkerchief. "My hand is dirty."

He then clenched his fist, and Gakupo found himself gasping for air; no air seemed to be entering his lungs.

"Stop it! He's suffocating!" Lily squirmed about, wishing that she had her gun. "Stop!"

"Gakkun!" Luka pulled out the gag, worry for her friend overcoming her fear. "Gakkun!"

"That's enough; I think he's learned his lesson by now." The elderly vampire stopped him. "We don't have the time, there's only so long that those fools can distract the other Hunters."

"It's your lucky day," The vampire obeyed, walking off; the rest following with Luka in the middle, surrounded by them.

"Luka!" The Hunters are coming! That old man Ted too! He's the best; he'll save you for sure! Don't lose hope!" Lily shouted after Luka. "We'll have lunch together tomorrow so stay safe!"

'_Stay alive!'_

The only reply she received was the deafening silence.

* * *

><p>"It's simple. All you have to do is to go over there and bring the katana over to us. We won't bother you or your friends after that."<p>

"Hey, I wanted to-"

"Silence!" The elderly vampire glared, smiling when he turned back to Luka. "Go on."

'_A cave is a really strange place to display a katana…'_ Luka took hesitant steps forward, uncertain why the vampires needed her to retrieve it. _'Can't they get it themselves? The way they're hiding at the edge… it almost seems as though they're… afraid of it…'_

"Don't worry, it's not dangerous." The elderly vampire called out encouragements with every step that Luka took. "There aren't any traps, go on. Just a little more…"

'_A l-little more…'_ Luka wondered what would happen when she grabbed the katana. Would the ceiling collapse? She had heard of such things happening and the cave was rather large, if it was rigged to collapse then what about the building above it?

"That's it… slow and easy…" The elderly vampire said as Luka approached the katana. "Now, pick it up and bring it back."

Luka stared at the katana; it was nothing extraordinary, other than the fact that the blade was still gleaming after so many years out in the air; and the seals to the cave had been remarkably old yet still powerful enough to injure some of the less powerful vampires when they had broken the seals.

Luka placed a hand on the greenish-blue hilt and tried to lift it, but the katana wouldn't budge.

"Use both hands!"

She obeyed; gripping the hilt tightly with both her hands and that was when it happened.

Luka stood frozen for a couple of seconds, her entire body numb and she felt as though hundreds of volts of electricity were passing through the katana to her; then there was a bright flash and she found herself flung far away from the katana, landing a few feet away.

"She failed!" An accusing voice said. "The katana rejected her!"

"It can be… she was doing so well before!"

"I'll go get the other children."

"Stop!" Luka sat up, intending to stop them but her palm caught her eye. There was a strange symbol on her palm that flared brightly before vanishing; leaving her wondering if she had imagined it.

"Are you okay?"

Luka turned towards the source of the voice and instantly tears sprang to her eyes.

"What's wrong? Are you seriously injured?"

"N-No… I-I just…" Luka shook her head, looking at the lady in surprise when pale hands brushed her tears away.

"You've been very brave Luka," The lady had a gentle smile on her face, hidden tears glittering within cerulean depths. "And that's a nasty cut you got there on your forehead."

Luka blushed furiously when the lady suddenly licked at the cut on her forehead before kissing it.

"Y-You're a very nice lady," Luka, her cheeks flaming red, informed as she touched her forehead gingerly; the cut had healed. "You have pretty hair too. It looks just like the hilt of the katana."

"Thank you; I'm glad that you like it." The lady's laughter was like the twinkling of wind chimes and Luka found herself yearning to hear it again, strangely. "Your hair is really nice too Luka-chan!"

Luka's wish was granted when the mysterious lady laughed again at Luka's blush.

"You are sooooo cute!" Arms slipped around Luka and held her close, stunning her momentarily but she soon relaxed in the lady's embrace, she didn't know why.

"Please let me hold you for a while…" The lady said softly, but Luka heard and she smiled, not saying anything.

"Do you always keep your hair like that?" Luka asked suddenly, curious. Her attention had strayed to settle on the lady's twin tails. _'It looks cute on her.'_

"Yep!" Came the cheery reply. "My hair's too long."

"But when you get older, won't people laugh and say that you're childish?"

"Well," The lady winked and flashed Luka a wide grin. "I'm one of those people who grow up, not grow old."

"Really?" Luka grinned back and a thought occurred to her.

"Wait! How come the vampires aren't attacking us?"

"Well… that's because…." The lady looked at her guiltily. "No one can see us talking, don't worry."

"You mean…" Luka looked around and spotted herself lying motionlessly on the ground. "That's my… I'm… I'm dead? … then you're…"

"I wouldn't really call myself an angel," The lady released Luka, allowing her to crawl to her body. "But you aren't dead. Really! Don't worry."

"But I-" New arrivals to the cave caught Luka's attention.

"Gakkun! Lily!" She tried to touch them but her hands ended up passing right through them.

"You're currently in between the world of the dead and the living," The lady explained as Luka stared at her hands in shock, giving her a sad smile. "It was the only way I could save you… I promised to protect you, but I couldn't really do anything… it's pathetic…"

"It's not!" Luka ran over to her, grabbing onto her skirts. "It's not!" She didn't really know what was going on, but Luka figured that she didn't really need to know. She looked at the lady with watery eyes. "Don't cry! You can't cry! If you cry, I'll cry too!"

"I won't cry then, because I don't want you to cry," The lady patted her head. "You're a very strange person, Luka."

"You bastards! You killed her!"

"I'm going to kill all of you once I'm free!"

The lady followed Luka's gaze. "Your friends are worried."

"B-But the Hunters aren't h-here! They should b-be here by n-now to get rid of t-the vampires!" Luka looked around frantically. "Why aren't they here?"

"If you don't do anything, your friends won't last long."

"I can't do anything!" Luka covered her face with her hands. "I'm not brave like Gakkun or Lily! I can't fight! I g-get scared all the time… I won't m-make a good Hunter b-but there's nothing else I can do! I'm clumsy and shy and g-generally useless! V-Vampires keep on coming after me so whoever I stay with will die, like how Gakkun's family…"

The lady looked at Luka seriously and flicked her finger at Luka's forehead.

"Oww!"

"You're thinking too much." The lady relented and rubbed Luka's forehead gently. "But for a start, you know where you're lacking, so make up for it! Clumsy? Train! Shy? Force yourself to talk more! There are so many ways to make up for your 'uselessness'. Don't be so hard on yourself!"

"But Gakkun and Lily-"

"Listen," The lady interrupted her. "I want you to rush to the katana as soon as possible once I tell you to, as fast as you can. Just grab the hilt or touch it, it'll be enough."

"T-The vampires are faster than me- eep!" Luka squeezed her eyes shut in anticipation of the lady's forehead flick when she drew near.

"You just have to be faster than them, okay?" The lady smiled as she took Luka's hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

"B-But I'm scared!"

"It's normal to be scared," The lady hugged her tightly. "When we're scared, we learn our limitations and are able to further improve ourselves. And…" Her eyes were downcast. "And when we're scared… we learn to cherish things more…"

Luka tugged at the hem of the lady's dress, about to say something when the lady suddenly pushed her towards her body.

"Now Luka!"

Luka opened her eyes and got to her feet instantly, instinct propelling her rather than thought. The vampires reacted fast and she could sense all of them clearer than ever; they were shocked when she had moved but now several of them were reaching her…

Her finger touched the hilt of the katana, then her hand wrapped around it comfortably.

A bright light engulfed the cave.

* * *

><p>"You succeeded!" The lady from before greeted.<p>

"Where are we?" Luka looked around; the two of them were in… some sort of garden, standing under a huge tree. She looked down and saw the katana in her hands. "I… did it?"

"Yes, you did." The lady confirmed proudly, looking at her fondly. "Take good care of the katana, Luka. After so long, its owner is back for it..."

"Are you… leaving?" Luka stared at her with wide eyes. "Why?"

"Yes I am," The lady acknowledged with a small smile. "My job here is done, and I-"

"I don't want you to go lady!" Luka didn't know why she felt so attached to her. "Don't go!"

"Luka," The lady knelt before her to look at her in the eye. "This katana is a part of me and I'm a part of this katana. In a way, as long as it's with you, I'm always with you. Besides, you carry me in here." The lady touched Luka's chest. "In your heart."

"O-Okay… I p-promise not to forget you!" Luka had tears running down her face, although she was trying her best to stop herself from bursting into full-blown sobbing. "I won't!"

The lady smiled. "You're such a sweet girl Luka… I'm really glad that I got to meet you when you were young…" She abruptly pinched Luka's cheek. "So cute!"

The lady laughed at Luka's facial expression, looking childish all of a sudden. "Carrying me in your heart in especially important, okay? Don't ever let anyone usurp my place!"

"I won't! I swear!" Luka squeezed her eyes shut only to open them again when she felt a gentle touch on her forehead; in time to see the lady walk away, her figure disintegrating in the distance.

"Keep the katana near you always; it'll protect you…"

_I'll protect you…  
><em>

"Goodbye lady…" Luka said to the air. "I won't forget you…"

* * *

><p>"<em>Wow. Crazy recruits this time round Ted! They got rid of those vampires trying to steal the katana!"<em>

"_What do you mean?" Ted shot the final vampire and entered the cave; Lily and Gakupo were lying unconscious on the ground; Luka was unconscious as well but she was gripping the katana tightly even when unconscious, a slight smile on her lips._

_There was something terribly familiar about that scene._

"_Well…" Ted smiled to himself. "Looks like Luka-chan found her katana again."_

* * *

><p>Luka's eyes shot open.<p>

"Just a dream…" She sighed and rubbed her eyes.

'_I never told her my name; but more importantly she looked astonishingly like Miku… an older version of Miku… but… if it wasn't Miku, then who was it?'_

* * *

><p><strong>~Omake~<strong>

"**Green is the Enemy"**

_While in Hatsune Manor…_

Luka stared.

She didn't know how it was possible, but apparently vampires were able to ingest food; or rather, one sort of food item besides their traditional 'meal' of blood.

Seeing as she was the only one who really needed to eat; Miku didn't want her to feel lonely so Kaito, Meiko and she often joined Luka at mealtimes.

They would always eat the same thing, _at every meal_.

Miku would be eating leeks, mostly _raw_, and Luka always wondered where the leeks came from, and how was it possible to grow enough leeks to supply Miku's needs, for Miku went through leeks each meal at the same rate kids eat cereal to have enough boxes to redeem for some toy; and Luka had seen cereal sold out before.

Kaito always had a gigantic… pile of ice-cream that obscured Luka's view of him when it was placed before him, but somehow he always managed to reduce the ice-cream to a quarter of its original size within a few minutes. He would then mope around for a bit before finishing up the remaining ice-cream, having seconds afterwards and occasionally a third helping, making Luka feel queasy every time she watched him.

Meiko was different, she didn't eat. Instead, she drank. Surprisingly, despite her somewhat serious exterior, Meiko spent most of her time ranging from being in a state of intoxication and nursing a hangover. She downed large amounts of sake and went through bottles of sake like Miku eating leeks, perhaps even worse. Luka always wondered how they had so much sake lying around and why Meiko hadn't gotten alcohol poisoning by now.

Vampires probably had really good constitutions.

"Is there something wrong Luka? Miku noticed that she was not touching her food. "You don't like it?"

"Oh, no! It's fine!" Luka was embarrassed at getting carried away with her staring. "It's just… just that Gumi always eats my carrots for me…"

Luka would sneak Gumi some carrots whenever Ted banned her from them; similarly Gumi did the same for Luka with tuna. Over time, Luka had somehow gotten into the habit of giving Gumi her carrots.

In addition, true to the manor's theme of 'larger than life', Luka had an extremely generous helping of carrots that she could only prod at with her fork and wish that Gumi was around.

Miku was shocked.

"B-By _Gumi_, you mean as in Gumi, a _human_? Not Gumi, a dog or a cat or…" She thought of possible animals that ate carrots. "Or a… a rabbit?"

"I'm pretty sure that Gumi is human," Luka laughed. "Although I think she resembles a carrot more than anything. She has lovely green hair and she often wears orange clothes, so she ends up looking like a carrot. Isn't that cute?"

'_Cute, she said.'_ Miku's eyes narrowed. She dropped the poor napkin that had been crumpled at the mention of 'lovely green hair' and whispered to Kaito, who was sitting next to her. "Green is the enemy!"

"It makes me wish that she was around…" Luka smiled wistfully. "This amount of carrots would be nothing for her."

Miku lost it.

Luka blinked and suddenly her plate was before Miku, who was shoveling carrots into her mouth at an alarming rate.

'_Cute?'_ Miku stabbed a piece of carrot fiercely, imagining it to be one Gumi, despite the fact that she had no idea what Gumi looked like; Kaito stared at Miku in amused shock, letting his ice-cream melt.

'_And she talks about her with that sort of smile on her face!'_ Miku viciously speared another piece, chomping hard on it in her mouth.

Swallowing, she muttered. "Green is _definitely_ the enemy."

"But Miku-sama, isn't your hair greenish-"

"Silence!" Kaito was hit by bits of carrot, having interrupted Miku at a bad time.

"And you!" Miku made sure that her mouth wasn't full before informing Luka, jabbing a fork in her direction. "From now on only I, Hatsune Miku, am allowed to eat your carrots! You got that? Only me! You're not allowed to smile and talk about someone else when-"

"Thank you for eating the carrots Miku," Luka smiled warmly. "I appreciate it a lot."

Miku froze.

_Thank you for eating the carrots Miku..._

_I appreciate it a lot…_

By now, Miku was in danger of ending up like Kaito's ice-cream.

"I-I… it's nothing…" Miku blushed and lowered her gaze chastely. "B-Besides, carrots are good for your eyesight…"

Only Meiko, who was by then thoroughly smashed, noticed the strange look of triumph on Luka's face that disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.

Shrugging it off, Meiko thought that she had imagined it.

* * *

><p><strong>Later that night…<strong>

Luka opened her notebook and began to write…

_Vampire Observation Diary_

_Task complete! _\(^w^)/_  
><em>

_It was successfully proven that vampires can eat more than one food item. Test subject Hatsune Miku ate carrots with some light persuasion…_

**~End~**_  
><em>


End file.
